Livin' the Dream at the Wheel of an Aston Martin One-77

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Livin' the Dream at the Wheel of an Aston Martin One-77

Supercars are by definition exclusive. Cars like the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo and McLaren F1 sit at the pinnacle of automotive development, a rarefied place where engineering is unfettered by accounting. Cost is no object with cars like these. Their only purpose is perfection.

The super-exclusive, super-expensive supercar seamlessly melds racing technology and fine craftsmanship in a hand-made automobile capable of blistering acceleration. It may be the finest car Aston Martin has produced in the 96 years since it was founded.

That's exactly the point.

"This car is the result of a vision," Julian Jenkins, vice president and general manager of Aston Martin North America, told Wired.com. "We wanted to take everything we are and everything we've done and create an iconic future classic. It epitomizes Aston Martin."

There is at the moment exactly one One-77 on the planet, and it recently made an appearance at a Monterey winery during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance weekend.

We were there to snap some pics and get the details on a car so exclusive even 007 doesn't have one.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Aston Martin's engineers drew inspiration from the race cars of Europe's Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Series. The aluminum body sits on a carbon fiber monocoque that's stiffer than a shot of Bushmill's. The carbon is flawless – it takes three weeks to craft each tub – and far too pretty to cover with upholstery.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Every crease and curve in the aluminum body is formed by hand, using hammers, dollies and English wheels. It's a painstaking process and one reason the 30 or so craftsmen building the cars at the factory in Gaydon will turn out just two per week when production begins next month.

"It's back to the old way of building cars," Jenkins said.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The 7.3-liter 12-cylinder engine sits behind the front axle for optimal weight distribution and handling. It is surrounded by a massive carbon fiber and aluminum brace that stiffens the chassis and supports the suspension. You can't see it in the photo, but 24-karat gold leaf protects the carbon fiber valve covers from exhaust heat.

Cosworth developed the engine and each is assembled by hand. Aston is still fine-tuning the setup, but the goal is 750 horsepower and 750 Newton-meters (about 553 pound-feet) of torque. Stomp on it and you'll hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Mash the pedal long enough and you'll top out north of 200 mph.

Not that Aston is concerned with such things.

"We weren't chasing numbers with this car," design manager Miles Nurnberger told Wired.com. "It's about the experience. We want people to be speechless."

Seems to us like doing 215 would leave you speechless.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The suspension comes straight from the track, with pushrod-activated dampers that offer more adjustment than a chiropractor. Once you enter triple-digit velocities, the active suspension lowers one inch and the rear spoiler rises four inches to improve handling and aerodynamics. A rear diffuser provides additional downforce. Carbon-ceramic brakes bring you down from speed with authority.

Although the One-77 has serious track potential, Aston designed it to be reasonably comfortable in the real world.

"It's an out-and-out performance car, and it is race-derived," Nurnberger said. "But it's not a race car. It is a high-performance car."

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The rear suspension is just as trick as the front, with more pushrods, adjustable dampers and a hydraulic anti-roll bar. The car weighs 1,500 kilograms. Fifty-one percent of the weight rests on the rear wheels, which should make for superlative handling.

"We tried to have perfectly neutral balance," Nurnberger said.

As you'd expect of a $1.8 million automobile, the suspension settings and handling characteristics will be tailored to each buyer's preferences.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The One-77 was designed by Marek Reichman and won the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Design Award. You don't want something so beautiful getting dirty, so for those occasions when you can't park your One-77 in a proper garage, you can protect it with a custom cover made by Savile Row tailor Henry Poole.

With a top speed approaching 220 mph, you'll see just about everything else on the road growing smaller and smaller in those sleek mirrors.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The One-77 comes with a Bang & Olufsen stereo system specifically designed for the car, much like the system in the DB9. The speakers shown above are mounted in the dashboard, and B&O calls them "acoustic lens technology." The design allows for 180-degree horizontal dispersion of high frequencies to "give listeners an improved sense of space, staging and realism."

Yeah, yeah. Who cares? Nothing's going to sound better than that sweet V12 approaching full throttle.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Aston put as much thought into the interior, which is dominated by a buttress-like center console with its impressive metal switches and knobs. Everything from the AC control to the paddle shifters controlling the six-speed gearbox falls readily to hand, and it all works with the precision of a Swiss watch.

The interior is covered with a variety of leathers, from heavy saddle leather on the doors to buttery soft hides on the supermodel-thin seats.

"We wanted to create a tactile and emotional connection with the car," Jenkins said.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Each door, like the rear deck, is formed from a single piece of aluminum. They open like the wings of a bird – not just any bird, mind you, but a swan, according to Aston Martin. To get those wings to spread, push on the left side of the handle. The right side will pop out; pull it to open the door.

It's much more graceful than it sounds, and a cool detail.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The headliner is laser-cut leather. Dropping $1.8 million on a car – Aston says about four dozen people have ordered one so far – entitles you to choose exactly what you want the interior trim to look like.

The One-77 is just 4 feet tall, and getting in requires a measure of grace. Once you're inside, the car is relatively roomy even if you're over 6 feet tall.

Forget about carrying anything, though. There's just enough room for a small overnight bag, which should hold enough cash to pay the speeding tickets you're bound to get.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The One-77 bears a filial resemblance to the rest of the Aston Martin family but also stands apart for its sheer singularity of purpose. It is far more aggressive than other cars in the Aston lineup and more closely hews to the ideal that form should follow function. Every curve, every duct, every line serves a purpose. These vents behind the front wheels expel heat generated by the brakes. (That's the open door behind the vent.)

Aston says the car represents the marriage of technology and art. The courtship started not quite two years ago, with a simple directive from chief executive Ulrich Bez.

"Our CEO literally told us to design a car that would take your breath away," Nurnberger said. "That was how it started."